INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE – a new work by the playwright and filmmaker Zach Helm and created spontaneously each night by Mr. Helm from on stage interviews with willing members of the audience – will begin previews February 3 prior to its official opening night on February 10 as the next production in the Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) season. Tickets are on sale now to this limited engagement, which runs through February 27.

Mr. Helm is the author of the plays LAST CHANCE FOR A SLOW DANCE and GOOD CANARY directed by John Malkovich, and the films “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” starring Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman, which he also directed, and “Stranger than Fiction” starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson.

With INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE, Mr. Helm uses a method originated by the late, pioneering author, actor and storyteller Spalding Gray: from the belief that everyone writes their own life and is a character in their own story, Mr. Helm invites theatergoers on stage for unscripted interviews from which emerges a surprisingly compelling and intimate theatrical journey for the entire audience.

Prior to his work as a playwright and screenwriter, Mr. Helm was himself a spoken word performer and monologist. He previously performed INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE at New York Stage & Film in
Poughkeepsie, as well as in Los Angeles during two engagements at the Bootleg Theatre and Teatro de Facto. Mr. Helm is an Ovid Fellow, a PEN USA award winner, and a National Board of Review award recipient. Vineyard’s Associate Artistic Director Sarah Stern is the Directing
Consultant for INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE, Kevin Adams is the Scenic and Lighting Consultant, Brett Jarvis is the Sound Consultant. Megan Smith is the Production Stage Manager.

Scheduled through February 27, INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE will perform Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Tickets range in price from $20 to $50. Tickets are now on sale to the general public and can be reserved by calling the box office at 212 353 0303 or visiting www.vineyardtheatre.org.

The Vineyard will follow its production of INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE with the world-premiere of Christopher Shinn’s PICKED about a young actor who prepares for his life to change when a legendary director casts him as the lead in a big-budget Hollywood movie.

Later this month, the Vineyard will continue its newest program, VINEYARD MASTERS — a series of master classes with Vineyard artists including KATHLEEN CHALFANT and JUDY KUHN, both Tony Award nominees and members of the Vineyard Theatre Board.